Contents

History

In 1847, settler Robert Graham purchased the property containing the cave, and the land remained in the Graham family until it was donated to the
state for a state park in 1964 by Frances Graham Darnell, Robert's great-granddaughter. Robert Graham's son, D. F. Graham, sheltered
hogs in the cave and became interested in archeology from the artifacts he found there. His collection of artifacts was offered by his son Benjamin to the
University of Missouri, which investigated the cave in 1930. Benjamin's son-in-law, Wade Darnell, was persuaded to delay plans to enlarge the shelter for his
livestock in 1948 so that archeological excavations could be made. The University of Missouri and the
Missouri Archaeological Society excavated the cave between 1949 and 1961. The importance of the findings in that period resulted in the site being the first archaeological site in the United States to be designated a
National Historical Landmark in 1961. Frances Graham Darnell donated the cave and surrounding land to the state of Missouri in 1964 to be a state park.[7]

Artifacts recovered from the cave indicate that the cave's inhabitants used spears to hunt and fish. A ring of smaller stones surrounding a larger stone was found in the cave, suggesting that ceremonies were held. Pottery shows that more recent Native Americans also lived in the cave.[8]

Activities and amenities

The state park offers access to the
Loutre River for boating and fishing, hiking trails named Fern Ridge (0.3 miles (0.48 km)), Loutre River (2.2 miles (3.5 km)), and Indian Glade (0.9 miles (1.4 km)), and camping facilities.[6]